Latest news with #Tearfund
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Solomon Islands bylaw empowers chiefs to block child marriage
By Khalia Strong , PMN HOPE Trust is set up in communities that are vulnerable to human trafficking due to poverty. Photo: PMN / Supplied In the Solomon Islands, child marriage, sometimes involving girls as young as 12, continues to be driven by poverty, custom, and outdated legislation. But in the remote community of Koleasi, Central Guadalcanal, traditional leaders are reclaiming their role in justice and protection through a locally led initiative that blends custom with legal clarity. "This is the beginning of something great," Prema Maeato, the executive programme director of Homes of Peace and Empowerment (HOPE) Trust, the organisation leading the work, says. "Our people have always governed themselves. What this bylaw does is help them use that power again - this time, to protect the next generation." Koleasi lies near dense forests and active logging camps, where industry brings both opportunity and risk. Maeato says the surrounding environment creates vulnerabilities that communities can no longer ignore. "In our domestic logging camps, there are practices of girls being taken and forced into marriage because of poverty," he says. "Sometimes there are up to seven children in one family, so only one or two are allowed to go to school. "The rest stay home or get married early - where the consent comes from the parents, not the child." The Koleasi Community Bylaw, developed in partnership with Hope Trust and Tearfund, explicitly prohibits marriage under the age of 18. A breach carries a maximum fine of SI$1000. Penalties also apply for organising a forced marriage or harbouring someone against their will. Community leaders, including HOPE Trust and representatives from the police and Tearfund NZ gather to mark the signing of the Koleasi Community Bylaw. Photo: NZ High Commission in Honiara Beyond fines, the bylaw introduces a clear referral pathway, linking community leaders with the Crime Prevention Committee, police, and social services. Chiefs, church leaders, and community representatives are responsible for raising awareness in schools and villages, reinforcing cultural norms that prioritise children's rights and well-being. The bylaw outlines a wide range of consequences for harmful or exploitative behaviour, including the gifting of a live pig, a cash fine, or kogana, a traditional currency made from precious shells. The Koleasi Community Bylaw enables traditional leaders to be part of the justice process. Photo: PMN / Supplied Claire Grey, Head of Advocacy at Tearfund New Zealand, says the Koleasi initiative sets a new standard for how traditional leadership and formal systems can work together to uphold justice. "These bylaws weren't created in a back room and imposed; they were built by the community," she says. "The result is that leaders feel ownership. They understand their mandate, and they know how to act when something goes wrong." She says the bylaw clearly defines which matters are handled at village level, and which must be referred to formal auth "It gives traditional leaders the authority to enforce the rules, and when a case is too serious, like child abuse or exploitation, there's a pathway to escalate it." Maeato says the impact is visible and transformative. "When this bylaw is launched, you can see the pride in people's faces. They feel recognised by the Government, by the Police. "They know their community matters and the traditional leaders realise they still have power - they still have a voice." HOPE Trust works with communities who have high rates of poverty and are near mining and logging camps. Photo: PMN / Supplied Since launching the Koleasi bylaw, Hope Trust has received growing interest from communities in other provinces, including Malaita and Western Province. However, capacity is limited. "We want to build a model in Central Guadalcanal that others can adapt," says Maeato. "But every community is different; their customs are different, so each bylaw must reflect that." Despite these challenges, the progress in Koleasi offers hope, especially for girls who might otherwise be married off without consent or protection. "This bylaw gives traditional leaders the mandate to say no," says Maeato. "It tells the community that children matter, their voices matter, and marriage, exploitation, abuse, none of that is acceptable." The Koleasi Community Bylaw is developed with support from Hope Trust, Tearfund New Zealand, and the SAFE programme funded by New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It came into effect on 19 June 2025. -This article was first published by PMN .
Otago Daily Times
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Fears trafficking victims are being deported from New Zealand
By Gill Bonnett of RNZ Tearfund says it's shameful that trafficking victims are being deported from New Zealand when they should be protected. The non-profit organisation has uncovered new figures which show the extent and nationalities of intercountry adoptions, through an unchecked pathway. There are fears some of them could be among trafficking victims, as some adoptive parents have exploited children by making them work for no wages or putting them into domestic servitude. People trafficking complaints in New Zealand have risen more than 4000% since 2018 but prosecutions are rare, and some victims are known to have been deported. Tearfund's head of advocacy, Claire Gray, said the government needs to take stock of the problem. "We don't know the scale of the issue. We don't know who is being trafficked and who is being exploited. If you are in a situation of trafficking and exploitation of the any kind in New Zealand, it's very unclear how you raise the alarm about that safely and how you get out of that situation. And then there is very, very weak, minimal protections in place for people, for victim survivors of trafficking." It is not known how many people leave the country without reporting that they were trafficked. "I think a lot of potential victims of trafficking in New Zealand will be deported, so we will never know definitively," Gray said. "I think it's almost like a shameful thing to say about our country, some of these people are the most vulnerable people - they've had their freedom taken away from them or compromised in some way - and our response to that is just to pop them on a plane and get rid of them as quickly as we can. It's really not good enough." New trafficking legislation is needed which should include better protections for those who are abused or exploited, she said. New Zealand has faced international criticism through the US Trafficking in Persons report on how it identifies trafficking, prosecutes it and helps victims once they are found. Intercountry adoptions Fears have been raised about trafficking among a specific category of adoptions which occur overseas. In other adoptions, Oranga Tamariki (OT) and the Family Court have roles in vetting and checking adoptive families before the children are placed in their care. Tearfund's figures suggest most of the unchecked intercountry adoptions happen in Samoa, but also Kiribati, Congo and other countries. They show in the last four years, about 2300 children had gained citizenship after being adopted from countries which have not ratified the Hague Convention. Gray said the extent of any trafficking and exploitation among those children was unclear, and OT itself said it cannot say how many of its child uplifts had been adopted through the process, known as Section 17 for its place in the Adoption Act. "The evidence that we've seen is that section where we have those intercountry adoptions, is actually being used as a pathway to traffick children to New Zealand for the purpose of exploiting them," she said. "So, that will be by far the minority of cases, but it still is a loophole that we believe should be safeguarded very urgently." In departmental reports, officials reported INZ, OT and the NZ police were seeing 'increasing numbers' of children of all ages, particularly in the 18-21 age group, who have been adopted offshore and were in exploitative situations in New Zealand where they are 'coerced, threatened and deceived'. Section 17 was used in New Zealand's most high-profile trafficking conviction - also the most recent (2020) and the only one for trafficking and enslavement - of Joseph Auga Matamata. Matamata was convicted of enslaving 13 Samoan nationals and 10 counts of human trafficking between 1994 and 2019. His youngest victim was a 12-year-old boy he had adopted. His other victims were older and escaped his compound or returned home. "One of the biggest impacts of this offending on them was they went home broken, beaten in spirit and ashamed, because for many of them they had been deported," Immigration NZ (INZ) said at the time. Gray said despite the case and others raised publicly, most adoptions were genuine. The immigration pathway was helpful to families and should be honoured, she added, but better safeguards had to be put in place along with an immediate pause while that happened. Oranga Tamariki and Immigration New Zealand OT said it has a role in adoptions when the child's country of origin is a contracting state of the Hague Convention. "Oranga Tamariki only has formal intercountry adoption programmes with Hague Contracting States including Chile, Hong Kong, India, Philippines, Lithuania, and Thailand," said manager of Tamariki and Whānau Services Paula Attrill, in a written statement. "These programmes are available for New Zealanders, following assessment and approval, to apply to adopt a child from." In other adoptions, the process is carried out under the laws of the overseas country and outside the framework of the 1993 convention, she said. "In some circumstances, we have partnered with non-Hague contracting states to work towards the development of arrangements that ensure safeguards are in place for the children involved." OT has declined interview requests. In a written statement, INZ said New Zealand had a whole-of-government approach to preventing and fighting people trafficking, and to providing help to victims. "If it is determined the individual does not have a clear visa pathway to remain in New Zealand lawfully, we will start the deportation process," said its national compliance manager Fadia Mudafar. "There is a formal process for a person liable for deportation to provide information about their personal circumstances, where they may disclose that they are a victim of trafficking. "We recognise the courage it takes to share such experiences and approach each disclosure with sensitivity, respect, and a commitment to ensuring the individual's safety and dignity. Additionally, compliance officers are trained to detect trafficking indicators." INZ gave the example of Matamata in which staff identified the potential trafficking, halted deportation action and referred the matter for further investigation. "If concerns arise during deportation proceedings, the matter is immediately referred by the compliance officers to the investigations team," Mudafar said. "MBIE works closely with a range of international and domestic partners across business, and civil society to prevent people trafficking in New Zealand. Where people trafficking does occur, we are committed to ensuring the welfare of victims is at the heart of our response and that offenders are prosecuted for their crimes." It spelled out its activities, including: Offshore prevention and capacity building initiatives to uplift the capability of international partners to respond to people trafficking, and disruption activities with law enforcement to target people trafficking networks Representing New Zealand at key international meetings such as the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime and the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime Robust procedures to identify potential people trafficking risks across visa and verification processing Delivery of training to frontline staff to help them identify indicators of people trafficking, particularly at the border Suspected victims of trafficking can apply for a Victims of People Trafficking Visa (VoPT) Support to both New Zealand citizens/residents and non-residents if the crime occurred in New Zealand Victims can be certified by NZ Police. Certification grants access to health, welfare, and immigration support services. "Officials recognise there are further opportunities to improve our sustainable support services to victims," said Mudafar. "MBIE will continue to work with partners to uplift the support to victims in New Zealand."
RNZ News
15-06-2025
- RNZ News
Fears trafficking victims are being deported from New Zealand
Deporting trafficking victims is "like a shameful thing ...pop them on a plane and get rid of them as fast as we can," says Tearfund's Claire Gray. Photo: SFC Tearfund says it's shameful that trafficking victims are being deported from New Zealand when they should be protected. The non-profit organisation has uncovered new figures which show the extent and nationalities of intercountry adoptions, through an unchecked pathway. There are fears some of them could be among trafficking victims, as some adoptive parents have exploited children by making them work for no wages or putting them into domestic servitude. People trafficking complaints in New Zealand have risen more than 4000 percent since 2018 but prosecutions are rare, and some victims are known to have been deported. Tearfund's head of advocacy, Claire Gray, said the government needs to take stock of the problem. "We don't know the scale of the issue. We don't know who is being trafficked and who is being exploited. If you are in a situation of trafficking and exploitation of the any kind in New Zealand, it's very unclear how you raise the alarm about that safely and how you get out of that situation. And then there is very, very weak, minimal protections in place for people, for victim survivors of trafficking." It is not known how many people leave the country without reporting that they were trafficked. "I think a lot of potential victims of trafficking in New Zealand will be deported, so we will never know definitively," Gray said. "I think it's almost like a shameful thing to say about our country, some of these people are the most vulnerable people - they've had their freedom taken away from them or compromised in some way - and our response to that is just to pop them on a plane and get rid of them as quickly as we can. It's really not good enough." New trafficking legislation is needed which should include better protections for those who are abused or exploited, she said. New Zealand has faced international criticism through the US Trafficking in Persons report on how it identifies trafficking, prosecutes it and helps victims once they are found. Fears have been raised about trafficking among a specific category of adoptions which occur overseas. In other adoptions, Oranga Tamariki (OT) and the Family Court have roles in vetting and checking adoptive families before the children are placed in their care. Tearfund's figures suggest most of the unchecked intercountry adoptions happen in Samoa, but also Kiribati, Congo and other countries. They show in the last four years, about 2300 children had gained citizenship after being adopted from countries which have not ratified the Hague Convention. Gray said the extent of any trafficking and exploitation among those children was unclear, and OT itself said it cannot say how many of its child uplifts had been adopted through the process, known as Section 17 for its place in the Adoption Act. "The evidence that we've seen is that section where we have those intercountry adoptions, is actually being used as a pathway to traffick children to New Zealand for the purpose of exploiting them," she said. "So, that will be by far the minority of cases, but it still is a loophole that we believe should be safeguarded very urgently." In departmental reports released to RNZ, officials reported INZ, OT and the NZ police were seeing 'increasing numbers' of children of all ages, particularly in the 18-21 age group, who have been adopted offshore and were in exploitative situations in New Zealand where they are 'coerced, threatened and deceived'. Documents released to RNZ had nationalities removed. "The scale of harm inflicted [redacted] adoptees has highly likely remained unchanged during the Covid-19 pandemic", according to this May 2021 Intelligence report. Photo: Supplied/MBIE Section 17 was used in New Zealand's most high profile trafficking conviction - also the most recent (2020) and the only one for trafficking and enslavement - of Joseph Auga Matamata . Matamata was convicted of enslaving 13 Samoan nationals and 10 counts of human trafficking between 1994 and 2019. His youngest victim was a 12-year-old boy he had adopted. His other victims were older and escaped his compound or returned home. "One of the biggest impacts of this offending on them was they went home broken, beaten in spirit and ashamed, because for many of them they had been deported," Immigration NZ (INZ) said at the time. Gray said despite the case and others raised publicly, most adoptions were genuine. The immigration pathway was helpful to families and should be honoured, she added, but better safeguards had to be put in place along with an immediate pause while that happened. There is evidence that intercountry adoptions are being used as a way of trafficking children to New Zealand to exploit them, but data is hard to find. Photo: janfaukner/123RF OT said it has a role in adoptions when the child's country of origin is a contracting state of the Hague Convention. "Oranga Tamariki only has formal intercountry adoption programmes with Hague Contracting States including Chile, Hong Kong, India, Philippines, Lithuania, and Thailand," said manager of Tamariki and Whānau Services Paula Attrill, in a written statement. "These programmes are available for New Zealanders, following assessment and approval, to apply to adopt a child from." In other adoptions, the process is carried out under the laws of the overseas country and outside the framework of the 1993 convention, she said. "In some circumstances, we have partnered with non-Hague contracting states to work towards the development of arrangements that ensure safeguards are in place for the children involved." OT has declined interview requests. In a written statement, INZ said New Zealand had a whole-of-government approach to preventing and fighting people trafficking, and to providing help to victims. "If it is determined the individual does not have a clear visa pathway to remain in New Zealand lawfully, we will start the deportation process," said its national compliance manager Fadia Mudafar. "There is a formal process for a person liable for deportation to provide information about their personal circumstances, where they may disclose that they are a victim of trafficking. "We recognise the courage it takes to share such experiences and approach each disclosure with sensitivity, respect, and a commitment to ensuring the individual's safety and dignity. Additionally, compliance officers are trained to detect trafficking indicators." INZ gave the example of Matamata in which staff identified the potential trafficking, halted deportation action and referred the matter for further investigation. "If concerns arise during deportation proceedings, the matter is immediately referred by the compliance officers to the investigations team," Mudafar said. "MBIE works closely with a range of international and domestic partners across business, and civil society to prevent people trafficking in New Zealand. Where people trafficking does occur, we are committed to ensuring the welfare of victims is at the heart of our response and that offenders are prosecuted for their crimes." It spelled out its activities, including: "Officials recognise there are further opportunities to improve our sustainable support services to victims," said Mudafar. "MBIE will continue to work with partners to uplift the support to victims in New Zealand." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Presbyterian Church raises concerns over Christian Aid's "LGBT position"
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has raised concerns with Christian Aid over its position on "LGBT issues".Donations from the church to the charity could be reduced as a Presbyterian moderator Rev John Dunlop criticised the move, saying the Church was getting "into a public row with one of the premier and respected aid organisations in Ireland and in the UK".Christian Aid told the Church it did not adopt "any policy or agenda on issues of gender identity and human sexuality". Christian Aid is a major charity which was first set up in 1945 by churches to help refugees in the aftermath of World War Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) donates to Christian Aid's work through its annual world development of PCI's donations currently go to Christian Aid and the other half to the Tearfund charity. What are the church's concerns? The Presbyterian Church raised concerns with Christian Aid about a document called Queering the Women, Peace and Security Aid had helped develop the document, which was published by Queen's University of Belfast (QUB) in aimed to help those working with lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women in the aftermath of in a letter to Christian Aid the incoming PCI moderator, Rev Dr Trevor Gribben, said the document had "caused a great deal of concern among leaders and members of PCI"."The document promoted a theological position that is very significantly at odds with the stated position of PCI," the letter continued. In 2018, the PCI adopted a policy that meant anyone in a same-sex relationship could not be a full member of the Dr Gribben said the document "had caused significant and potentially lasting damage to the relationship PCI has with Christian Aid".He said the Presbyterian Church's council had also expressed "deep concern and regret" that the document was published by Christian said that had led to "a loss of confidence both in the judgement of some staff in Christian Aid and in the governance/management systems of the organisation as a whole". How did Christian Aid respond? Members of the Christian Aid Ireland board wrote to Rev Dr letter said the Queering the Women, Peace and Security Agenda document aimed to identify "vulnerabilities and needs of people who may experience additional risk in situations of conflict for reasons of gender and sexuality".But they said it was not a formal policy document of Christian Aid and it had been removed from their website. Why could the row affect donations to Christian Aid? At their General Assembly in Belfast this week, members of the PCI voted to allow individual churches to decide whether their donations in 2025 should go to Tearfund or Christian changes the existing practice of the church's overall world development appeal donations being equally split between the two some senior members of the Church spoke out against the PCI said that from the 2024 World Development Appeal, Christian Aid Ireland and Tearfund would receive around £203,000 each. What was the reaction? Rev John Dunlop, a former moderator of the Church, told the assembly that "it's exceedingly unfortunate that the church has decided to get into a row with Christian Aid in this the 80th year of their existence"."We have been there with Christian Aid from the beginning," he said."We have decided to get into a public dispute which we have no need to get into."Meanwhile, Rev Dr Roger Purce, who is a former chair of Christian Aid Ireland, told the assembly that the charity had "listened, they acted" by removing the document from their church members voted in favour of a resolution to change the funding relationship with Christian News NI has approached Christian Aid for comment.
Daily Mirror
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Coronation Street star's health battle and unexpected job away from the soap
Channique Sterling-Brown, who plays lawyer Dee-Dee Bailey in Coronation Street, has opened up about her mental health battle and role away from the soap as she becomes an ambassador for charity Laughing with locals, Channique Sterling-Brown looks completely at home as she admires the livestock and learns to shell nuts in a remote African village. Better known as lawyer Dee-Dee Bailey in Coronation Street, she is in a remote rural community in Malawi, where more than 70% of the population live below the national poverty line, surviving on less than £1.60 a day. A 5,000 mile trip from her home in Manchester, she is working with the international development charity Tearfund, promoting its work to eradicate period poverty - a subject this paper is also campaigning to stamp out here in the UK through our End Period Poverty campaign. 'I'm very grateful for my job at Coronation Street, but it's a strange thing having a platform when it's come out of nowhere. Suddenly you get a role on TV and it changes your life,' says Channique, 28. 'I'm not a perfect person, I'm just a girl from Manchester, but I think it's my responsibility to use this profile I've got through Coronation Street to help and care for others. 'I feel grateful to be able to do that. These people might be on the other side of the world, but it's about spreading the love.' Fans of Dee Dee, the big-hearted lawyer, who came to the cobbles in 2022 as part of the Bailey clan – the first black family on the street - may feel these words have come straight from her mouth. Like Dee-Dee, off-screen Channique is a committed Christian and was approached by Tearfund, a Christian charity that partners with churches in 50 of the world's poorest countries, last year and invited to be an ambassador. She says: 'I loved the sound of a charity that was focussed on reaching people, teaching them, equipping them and empowering them. I loved the fact that it was through the church too.' Channique, who has visited life-changing water and sanitation projects to witness Teardrop's work in eradicating period poverty, says this has long been a subject close to her heart. 'Period poverty is an international problem and there are girls right here in the UK that miss out on education because of it,' she says. 'My church's community centre is in one of the poorest areas in Manchester. We run a foodbank and my donation is regularly menstrual hygiene products. 'Obviously people need to eat, but it's nice for women to know that these products will always be stocked on the foodbank shelves.' During her trip, Channique meets local teenage girls to learn how the charity has helped them break down myths and taboos around menstruation and provide safe and clean toilets at school - meaning they do not have to miss out on education. Period poverty, which refers to the inability to afford or access menstrual products, means that 30% of young girls in Malawi stay out of school for up to a week every month during their period. But Tearfund is working to change that. 'We went to a school near Salima where they have a changing block for the adolescent girls who have their periods,' Channique says. 'It's somewhere they have access to clean water and to clean themselves, so they can then get straight back into lessons. 'They are also learning to sew reusable sanitary pads. The boys are helping do that too and learning about periods and the menstrual cycle. I would never have expected that, because I don't even see it in the UK.' Channique has also seen first-hand the community groups established by Tearfund, which have given villagers valuable lessons in agriculture and business. 'I met Joyce and she taught me how to shell groundnuts. I wasn't very good at it, but I did my best,' Channique smiles. 'She also showed me her animals. The charity had taught her how to take the manure from the livestock and turn it into organic fertiliser so, whereas previously she'd been getting five bags of groundnuts, she was now getting 20. That's amazing, life-changing multiplication, just from that titbit of knowledge.' Christianity and work done through the church are both massively important to Channique, who credits her faith with transforming her life. Growing up in London and then Yorkshire in a church-going family, her turning point came in 2020 when she signed up for an Alpha Course - an evangelistic Christian course - to learn more about faith. 'It changed my life and I don't say that lightly,' she says. 'It gave me a new understanding of what Christianity is. As a young adult I'd thought it meant I couldn't have any fun and that there were lots of rules. But that hasn't been the reality for me. The reality has been that it's given me so much hope and joy. 'Before this I had lots of personal struggles with mental health, in terms of anxiety and self-esteem and lots of different things, if I'm honest about it,' she says candidly. 'Finding my faith has empowered me – it's like the world is in colour now. 'Before, when I looked at the situations in the world, I felt really hopeless and heartbroken. Now I look at the good that is out there and how many people want to make a change.' Again, hearing Channique speak, there are echoes of her non-nonsense, yet massively compassionate Corrie character Dee-Dee, who has featured in a host of dramatic storylines, including, most recently, becoming pregnant by her abusive fiancé Joel Deering. After first considering a termination, Dee-Dee decided to keep the baby and the plan is that she will be raised abroad by her brother James and his partner Danny. But, as Dee-Dee spends more time with her daughter, it's clear she is wondering if she has made the right decision. 'She's having doubts,' Channique says. 'She is becoming attached to the baby. It's such a complicated situation – there's a constant battle between head and heart. Logically she thinks it's best that James takes Leyla, but that's not the reality of what she feels, so we'll definitely see the repercussions of that for her.' The actress, who works as a Sunday School teacher at her local church, adds: 'It wasn't my plan to be on television. I would have been just as happy treading the boards and I always say that the timing of me getting Coronation Street was really special. It was after Covid, I'd really found my faith and I was a bit older and a bit wiser and that's equipped me with better priorities.' Starting a family is not at the top of that priority list at the moment for single Channique, despite loving her storylines with the baby who plays Laila. She laughs: 'Working with animals and children isn't as bad as people say! I love the baby; she's so cute and chilled out. I was actually quite annoyed at first. Because Dee-Dee didn't want to bond with her, it meant everyone on set was holding her except me! I was like 'why are Alan Halsall (Tyrone Dobbs) and Mike Le Vell (Kevin Webster) holding the baby and I'm not?' Having just bought her first house in Manchester, which she shares with her best friend, Channique would like to settle down and be a mum one day. 'I'm still young so it's not on the cards at the minute, however I would definitely love that in my future,' she enthuses. 'But I'm really blessed. I've got lots of amazing nieces and nephews, so I'm not short for cuddles.'
